Population trends

Population

Almost a third of the population in Greenland lives in Qaasuitsup Municipality. On 1 January 2013, 17,498 persons lived in the municipality’s towns and settlements. The number of inhabitants fell by one per cent in 2012 (189 persons). Since 2003, the total number of inhabitants has decreased by a total of seven per cent. The decrease varies, but generally the towns have seen population decrease by a little more than four per cent. As for the settlements, the decrease was almost 15 per cent. Previously, a high birth rate stabilised the number of inhabitants in the settlements, but the birth rate is now dropping.

At the same time, 56,370 persons lived in Greenland as a whole. At the national level, the number of inhabitants decreased slightly less in 2012 – namely by 0.7 per cent (379 persons).

During the past five years (2008-2013), three towns and settlements have experienced an increase in population, four have seen a decrease in population and 17 a vast decrease. The number of inhabitants has been stable in the remaining towns and settlements (15).

Of the eight subareas in the municipality, only the Ilulissat area has experienced an increase in population since 2000, and the Upernavik area has remained unchanged. The remaining six areas in Qaasuitsup Municipality have experienced a decrease in the number of inhabitants. However, in 2012, the town of Upernavik and Nuuk experienced the largest increase in the number of inhabitants.

The population forecast (2012-2026) for Greenland as a whole shows that primarily towns will experience an increase – especially in Central Greenland and in the Disko region.

Distribution by gender and age

As in the rest of Greenland, there is an overweight of males in the municipality, with a distribution of 52.5 per cent males and 47.5 per cent females. Especially the settlements have a low ratio of women.

More than a quarter of the municipality’s inhabitants are under the age of 16 and therefore at school. 66 per cent are aged 17-64 years, and a little more than eight per cent are older than 65.

The age distribution in the municipality roughly matches the general distribution in the rest of Greenland, but in the past ten years, the working population has grown older and the over-65 group has increased. According to the population forecast, the group of senior citizens will increase further in the coming years.